Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has said that it would be 'outrageous' to label Tottenham and their manager Ange Postecoglou as failures if they don't make the top four this season.
Despite a strong start to the season, Spurs have slipped to fifth place after a series of less impressive performances.
Their defence has been a weak point, with Spurs conceding more goals (38) than any of their top-six rivals, which could hinder their chances of securing a Champions League spot.
But Sutton, speaking to the It's All Kicking Off podcast, took offence to the suggestion that Spurs' season would be considered a failure if they missed out on Champions League qualification.
«Failure? Failure is outrageous. Where did Tottenham finish last season? So how are we viewing progress?» he said.
«The thing with Tottenham — I'm not angry about it, I'm not aggravated about it — but are people quick to forget what he took over, who he lost, where Tottenham finished last season, the brand of football which they were playing, and then all of a sudden people have become used to this brand of football.
»They're conceding goals on the counter, they're leaving themselves wide open, but this is what it is. And this is how Postecoglou plays. And putting all the things into the equation, I think Tottenham fans are really happy about where they are.
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«But there's no doubt, and I thought this would happen next season, that there will be Tottenham fans who are saying, „well, we've got to see games out better, we need to be more defensive minded.“
»That was always going to come
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